Cantarella: A Tragedy
by Princess Eclaire
Summary: Lord Kaito finds his world turned upside down when he falls for the beautiful Lady Miku. There are only two problems: one, she's already engaged and two, she's his little sister! How far will he go to make her his? My take on the Kurousa-P song.
1. Author's Note and Disclaimer

**Author's Note:** Hi everyone! It's Princess Eclaire here with my first ever multi-part fic! Of course, it was only natural that I use the beautiful "Cantarella," quite possibly my favorite Vocaloid song of all time, with it's mysterious, open-to-interpretation lyrics and intriguing characters as the source material for such a landmark story (for me, anyway...)! But, please, don't get me wrong! There are already so many amazing, wonderful "Cantarella" fics written by equally amazing, wonderful authors out there (I hope they don't mind, but one of my personal favorites is fellow fic author Kokiko's twisted take on the tale...), and, in writing this, I in no way have any intention of surpassing or altering the existing stories because I found them inadequate. In fact, the exact opposite is true: I was inspired to write this fic _because _of all the great stories I had read on the subject! Additionally, because the lyrics of the song _are _somewhat vague and can be interpreted so many different ways, I decided that it might be fun to let all of you see _my _version of the story.

Keeping that mind, it is also worth noting that, in addition to many original ideas, I was also heavily inspired by several of the "Cantarella" videos circulating YouTube and Nico Nico Douga, and many of the ideas contained within this story are a synthesis of story elements found in those videos. If you haven't already watched them, I highly recommend that you do; there are some really beautiful videos out there!

Finally, just so there's no confusion here, the character whose name comes before the chapter title is the character who is narrating that particular chapter. I don't believe in switching POV's in the middle of a chapter!

And now, the part you've all (not) been waiting for...

**Disclaimer: Kaito, Miku, Rin, Len, Meiko, and all the other Vocaloids belong to the Yamaha Corporation-not me! The song, "Cantarella" is also not mine; it belongs to Kurousa-P! The "Cantarella" PV's belong to their respective owners, as do the story elements contained within. The only thing I own is the actual writing!**

Enjoy!


	2. Miku: Prologue

**Prologue**

Canta per me ne addio… Sing for me a song of farewell…_ Though it has been ten years since we bid that final farewell, it feels as though it has been much longer. I am alone on this cold, gray Sunday morning, a somber figure standing amidst the tombstones, dressed entirely in black—still in mourning after all this time. Around me, rain falls softly, but the only water I am concerned with is the tears streaming down my face, for ten years ago, my beloved was taken from me—ensnared in a twisted web of deceit and desire that even _he_ could not escape. We spun that web together, a thread at a time, blissfully unaware of all the sorrow our forbidden love would soon yield. A few drops of poison that had meant nothing to us at the time were about to mean everything. A few drops of poison—the same poison we had poured in His Lordship's drink—were about to take my lover's life._

_I have often stood in the very same spot I am today, pondering our sorry tale. Was it really the poison that started all of this, or did it begin long before that? Did it begin with my arrival at the manor or even with Mother's death? Perhaps the two of us were just fated to meet such tragic ends from the very moment we were born. I wonder, is such a thing possible? Are the ends of our stories determined before they can even begin? Where, then, does one begin the telling of their tale: the beginning, the inevitable end, or somewhere in between? And as I ponder, I cannot help but gaze up at the bleak sky above me and be transported back through the years to a time when this overbearing sadness was not present in my life, back to a time when I still knew what beauty and happiness were, back to a time when my beloved still breathed._

_It is here I shall begin my tale. _


	3. Miku: Brother

**Chapter One**

**_Brother _  
**

_Brother… _Staring blankly down at the violin case resting in my lap, I turned the unfamiliar word over in my mind once more. Around me, the carriage bumped and rattled as it traveled down the beaten, dirt path that led to Lord Kaito's estate. My _brother's_ estate…

_ Brother… _I thought about how strange and foreign it really sounded now that I was here, and it was about to come true. The day of Gran's funeral, when they had first told me I was being sent to live with my only surviving relative, my _brother_ whom I had not seen for ten years, the concept had seemed somehow distant and far away—dreamlike, as though it could not _really_ exist. But now, as I found myself bouncing along in a carriage towards his mansion, the overwhelming tangibility, the _reality_ of the situation hit me with the force of a thunderbolt: I really _did_ have a brother, and I really _was_ on my way to go live with him.

Make no mistake! It was not as though I didn't have memories—fond ones, even—of the childhood I shared with him, but the events of the last ten years had made them seem as though they had happened to another girl in another life a long time ago—not me. The two of us had been the best of friends, as I recalled, until Mother died. At the time, I had been six and he had been eight, too young to really understand the enormous custody battle that had occurred between our father and grandmother following and had resulted in Gran taking me away. I couldn't help but wonder: would it feel like no time had passed when Kaito and I finally met again, or had we grown too far apart in the past ten years to even dream of picking up where we had once left off?

Meiko, a close friend from my days with Gran, sat across from me, her eyes fixed on mine as though she was trying to figure out just _what_ I was staring at. Never one to settle for silence, she asked, "You all right, Miku?"

At the sound of her voice, I immediately snapped out of my trance and realized that I was still in the carriage. "Oh, I'm fine." I said, my mind still lingering in those distant memories.

Meiko rolled her eyes. "You had better be," she teased. "Because we're pulling up to your brother's place as we speak!"

My mind raced. "We are?"

"Looks like it," Meiko replied, glancing out the window. "Jeez. Who _lives_ in place like this? It's _huge!_"

And, of course, she was right. My hazy, childhood memories had done little justice to this magnificent place: the mansion itself was absolutely enormous—more a castle than a mansion, I thought—and was made of dusty-colored brick that seemed to glow gold in the light of the setting sun; the grounds were sprawling and meticulously maintained, dotted every so often with gardens that seemed to explode with color and life. Meiko laughed in disbelief at her opulent surroundings, but I could only stare, hardly believing myself that this was to be my home.

The carriage pulled around to the front door before coming to a halt, and for a few minutes following, we did nothing. We simply sat there, lost in our own thoughts. Finally, Meiko broke the silence. "Come on! We can't sit around here _all_ day," she cried. "Don't you want to see this place?"

Now that we were here, I wasn't sure that I did.

A formally dressed butler answered Meiko's knock at the door and welcomed us into the mansion's lavish foyer. "I repeat: who _lives_ in a place like this?" Meiko muttered under her breath as she examined the crystal chandelier hanging overhead.

"The young master will be with you in just a moment," the butler told us. "Until then, is there anything else the young ladies require?"

"Well actually—" Meiko began.

"We're fine, thank you," I replied, cutting her off in attempt to avoid further embarrassment. It was no secret that Meiko, in addition to being talkative and graced with very little tact, harbored a fondness for hard liquor. Goodness knows what kind of looks we would've received had she asked for such a thing during our first moments here!

The butler's eyes shifted from side to side for a moment, as though he were contemplating what Meiko might have asked for as well, before he said, "Very well," and left us.

"Hey, what was _that_ for?" Meiko cried as soon as he was gone.

"I'm sorry," I said, my head bowed. "I just didn't want you to—"

Our conversation was instantly interrupted by the sound of boots clicking against the marble floor. I turned towards the source of the noise and stumbled backward at what I saw:

There, standing about halfway up the grand staircase, was a boy about our age.

He seemed to me like some mighty king surveying his kingdom below him. His posture was imperious; his jacket was expertly crafted and highly tailored—even the blue scarf he had thrown about his neck looked expensive! His hair was such a deep royal blue that it almost hurt you to look at it, but his eyes were cold. I could feel them watching us as he stood there, unresponsive and unmoving, as though he had been carved from stone. "Who are you?" he commanded, his stern voice echoing throughout the cavernous space. It was the strangest thing, but somehow, I couldn't help but think that I had heard him somewhere before.

For a few moments, no one said anything. "Well?" he barked, clearly impatient. His voice, though rough, conjured within me memories of warm sunny days, baskets of flowers, the laughter of children…

I gasped. Now it all made sense! Memories came flooding back to me, as though the dam blocking the waters of my mind had burst. I _knew_ him. I _knew_ the boy on the staircase.

That boy was my _brother._

_

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Well, there you go! Chapter One is finally up! Henceforth, each chapter will be alternating between Miku and Kaito's points-of-view, hopefully forming a complete story by the end! A note about the whole idea of Miku and Kaito being brother and sister: I got it from a discussion on the original (or, at least the most popular), black-and-white"Cantarella" video. Several people theorized that, in keeping with the song's title, Miku and Kaito were perhaps posing as Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia, real-life historical figures and half-siblings (although they probably didn't actually poison anyone). So, if you're one of those people that thought that-the idea goes to you! Thank you! Also, if it seems like I'm hating on Meiko, I'm sorry. I swear that was not my original intention._  
_


	4. Kaito: Revelations

**Chapter Two**

_**Revelations **_

I've heard it said that there are moments in a person's lifetime when time suddenly seems to slow down, and the past, the present, and the future become intertwined—a single, perfect instant in the endless spectrum of eternity that stays with you until you die:

The moment I first laid eyes on her was one of those moments.

I almost didn't believe that she was real when I saw her standing in the foyer: silken, light blue hair that rippled nearly to her ankles; turquoise eyes that glowed against her alabaster skin; she looked more a goddess or an angel than a flesh-and-blood being. Still, I knew I couldn't allow myself to be taken aback by her beauty, no matter how stunning. I was lord over this household, and I had appearances to keep up. "Who are you?" I called.

The foyer was silent for several moments: the busty brunette standing next to her seemed too preoccupied with her surroundings, and _she_ only stared, her glowing turquoise eyes fixated on me as though she had seen me somewhere before but wasn't exactly sure _where._

I struggled not to stare back.

"Well?" I finally cried, impatient for this decidedly demonic angel to cease her gaping; even as I stood there, head turned completely the other way, I could feel her eyes boring into me, and it was driving me mad. It was almost as those she was _teasing_ me with those stares—tempting me to stare back and look a fool when she caught me so openly beholding her beauty. However, the moment she spoke, I immediately wished she had not, for the words that echoed from her parted lips became the words that nearly broke my heart:

"Kaito, is that…_you?_"

The sound of her voice sent my head reeling. All at once, memories surged through me, conjuring up images of a little girl with the same sky blue hair and glowing eyes. I nearly laughed aloud at the thought; surely this young woman with the face of an angel could not be _her! _ She was far too beautiful, far too graceful… She spoke again, but the sweet sound of her voice did nothing to soften the hurt of the words she said:

"Kaito, it's me. Miku."

My heart felt as though it was going to collapse within my chest. _Surely not!_ I thought to myself. The Miku _I_ remembered was a six-year-old child with tangled pigtails and a chubby face inclined to be dripping with snot—not _this_ girl! She couldn't be _my_ sister. She just _couldn't! _I clutched the staircase railing with a sweating hand. When the servants had informed me of my sister's arrival, I'd been expecting to meet the little girl from ten years ago; I had most certainly not been prepared for _this._ _Ugh. _Now my head was throbbing. How I wished they'd just leave me be!

"Kaito," Miku said for the third time. "Can you hear me? It's M—"

"I can see that," I growled through tightly clenched teeth. "What is it that you want?"

Miku smoothed the folds of her dress, clearly a little startled. "Well…it's just that…there's no one else—Gran's gone now, so…" She bit her lip. "…so I've come to live with _you,_" she finally said. "And I figured that since I'm going to be living here, I'm going to need to know my way around. So I was wondering if you might want to—"

"I can't right now," I told her, praying she would stop tormenting me with her breathtaking beauty and just leave me alone. She was my little _sister,_ for God's sake! You weren't supposed to feel the things I was feeling about your sister. "Have a servant show you and your friend around the manor. I'll catch up with you later."

Miku hesitated. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Sure he's sure," the loudmouth brunette cried, hurrying her along. "Why don't we take a peek at what's in the kitchen…?"

The moment the two of them were gone, I heaved a low, heavy sigh. So many thoughts were racing through my mind—leaping, bounding, turning cartwheels… I was beginning to feel dizzy; I had so much to think about. I needed to alone. _No such luck,_ I thought with a grimace, noticing that lavender twilight had descended upon the grounds. Dinner would be in the dining room in an hour, and I'd have to face _her_ again; I'd have to spend the entire evening with that sickeningly pleasant smile pasted on my face, discussing the weather or some other meaningless topic, all the while suffering each time I saw her lovely face. Suffering because, inside, I knew I harbored secret feelings that longed to be realized, but could not, could never, be admitted to anyone—not even to myself.

I lay in bed awake that night, the swarm of thoughts buzzing around in my head keeping me from sleep. I wanted so badly to stop hurting the way I was; I wanted _her_ to disappear off the face of the Earth, never to cause me such pain again_. But would even _that _be enough to stop it?_ I wondered. _Would simply admitting the way I feel lessen the hurt—or just make it worse? _I swallowed a lump in my throat, for I was all too aware of the awful sensation that was creeping over me. I thought of Miku, my once little sister who had been transformed from girl to goddess seemingly overnight. She was just _so_ beautiful… _Too _beautiful_. _

My heart pounded in my chest. I just wanted the pain to stop, to be free of this spell that she had cast over me, and I knew all this denial was only pouring salt into the already burning wound. The truth was stirring inside me, yearning to be set free. Should I? _Could _I? I knew I had no choice—not if I ever wanted to be free again. I could deny it no longer:

I was in love—madly, passionately, devastatingly in love…

…with my little sister.

I woke up the next morning somehow relieved—but with a million more questions bouncing around inside my brain. Thankfully, Miku was nowhere to be seen at breakfast; after what I had decided the previous night, I don't what I would've done if I had to spend breakfast looking at her. But even that was not enough to quiet my ever-restless mind. I really did need to be alone. An image of the rose garden—where the everlasting calm and tranquility were broken only by the rustling of leaves and the twittering of birds; where the sweet scent of the blossoms hung thick in the air—came to mind, and I decided that I would go there. Maybe then, when I was finally alone with my thoughts, I could make sense of the chaos that ravaged my mind.

_What am I to do?_ I thought to myself as I stumbled down the garden path. Roses of every shape, color, and size bloomed at every turn, and the cloudless sky above was the color of _her_ hair, but I couldn't concentrate on any of that. I knew that I couldn't confess my love to her; she'd think me a monster if I even tried, but now that I was sure of the feelings that burned inside me, I desired to make them known to her as well. _What must it be like,_ I wondered, _to hold her close to you, to touch her lips—to kiss her? _I could feel the blood roaring in my ears, my heart throbbing as visions swirled around my head.

And then I saw her.

It was as if all my fantasies had somehow solidified themselves into reality: Miku lay on pale granite bench to the side of the path, surrounded by red rosebushes, her eyes closed in sleep. Her fragile form was sheathed in a black gown trimmed with white lace, and she wore a red rose pinned onto the black choker around her neck. I watched as she turned over, a soft moan escaping her parted lips, making my heart race. How I longed to take her into my arms, to run my fingers through that silky, blue hair... Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself upon her, my hand resting on neck. For a moment, I simply stood there, lost in my own world, breathing in her sweet scent, but when I felt her stirring underneath me I panicked. Without thinking, I snatched the rose from her choker and darted into the bushes, praying that she didn't find me.

From my hiding place, I watched as her eyelids fluttered open. She sat up and scanned her surroundings, a confused look fixed upon her face. "I could've sworn…" She never finished her sentence, but there was no need for her to; I knew what she was going to say: _I could've sworn there was someone here. _Instantly, her hand flew to her neck, feeling around for the rose that was now no longer there. Distress flooded her delicate features, and she began scanning the ground, searching desperately for the missing flower. Part of me wanted to give it back to her or at least put the rose where she could find it, but I knew that doing so might give away my location, so I kept still.

Suddenly, laughter broke the hush that had settled over the garden; it was the annoying, nasal kind that could have only belonged to an equally annoying young man. I watched him as he strolled down the pathway, his unkempt, sallow hair tied into a ponytail, a smug smirk fixed upon his lips. "How's it going, Princess?" he chuckled, embracing Miku from behind. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Len!" Miku gasped, her voice somewhere between anxious and relieved.

"That's right," the boy replied. "I heard you just got in last night, so I thought I'd come over and help you unpack."

I gnashed my teeth together, clutching the rose tighter in my hand. Just who _was_ this boy?

"Oh, you didn't have to do that," Miku admonished with a worried glint still clouding her eyes.

"What's wrong?" the boy asked, finally noticing.

Miku indicated to her choker. "I lost my rose," she told him.

The boy pursed his lips together, as if in deep thought. A moment later, he reached over and plucked a golden-colored rose from a nearby bush, presenting it to her. "Here, take _this_ as its replacement," he said.

"It's the same color as your hair," Miku observed, smiling in such a sickening way that I almost considered vomiting.

"Yeah," the boy replied with an equally stupid grin. "That way, even when I'm not around, it'll remind you that I'm always with you in spirit."

If all that smiling hadn't been enough to do me in, that last line would have definitely done the trick.

Miku wrapped her arms around him in a surprisingly warm hug. "Thanks," she murmured.

"Anything for you, Princess," the boy laughed, returning the hug. "I mean, the wedding's in, what, a month? We ought to get used to being together!"

I swear my jaw might have dropped all the way to my chest had I not quickly pushed it back into place. This impudent whelp was her _fiancée?_ _ How _dare_ he? _I thought, seething as I clutched the rose in my hand tighter still. _How _dare_ he take her? She was mine _first! I opened my fist, letting the now crumpled rose fall to the ground in a flurry of scarlet petals. Although anger choked my vision like some kind of red haze, I somehow had the feeling that I had never seen clearer in my life. Yes, it was all becoming clear now: I would rid myself of this cheeky, young suitor, and then Miku would have no choice but to come to me, and I'd make her mine.

I already had the perfect plan.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, how do you like _that? _As a close friend put it, he's "plotting murder already! And it's only the second chapter!" Yes. Now, we're beginning to see some of the influence of all those PV's. As you can probably tell, I took most of my inspiration from the video with the Kaito/Miku/Len love triangle, but never fear! Influence from the other interpretations (including the infamous "Phantom of the Opera" version) are on the way! This chapter was a _lot _of fun to write. Maybe I'm a little disturbed, but I just love delving into Kaito's sick, twisted mind! What about you? I know this probably goes without saying, but please rate/review/favorite/subscribe as you see fit. I just _love _to hear what you have to say!

Next up: Miku receives a strange visitor! Just _what _could his true intentions be? Stay tuned!


	5. Miku: A Visitor at Midnight

**Chapter Three**

_**A Visitor at Midnight**_

Len offered his arm to me, and I took it. "You must have had a long drive here," I told him as we walked back towards the mansion. "How long are you staying?"

My fiancée paused. "You mean no one told you?"

"Told me what?" I echoed, worry knotting in my stomach.

"I'm staying until the wedding," he explained. "The next time I leave, _you'll_ be leaving with me."

"Oh." Was I unhappy with Len? Hardly. We had been best friends since we were both ten years old. He was kind, thoughtful, and always, _always_ there for me when I needed him. He knew me like no other, as did I him, and I had been more than happy to accept his marriage proposal when it had come three months ago. Still, somehow this news made me a little uneasy. Why? I couldn't say. How could I _not_ be happy with someone like him? It was a silly thought, so I brushed it aside.

We followed the garden path back to the terrace outside the mansion's ballroom, entering the house through a pair of enormous, black French doors. "Lunch isn't for another hour, but I'm sure Cook will have something for you in the kitchen," I remarked.

"That's all right. I can wait," Len chuckled. "Like I said, I really came to help you move in."

"Well, in that case, you're too late. Meiko and I already took care of that."

Len grimaced. "You mean Meiko's here, too?"

"No. She left this morning," I replied.

"Oh. Well that's—" Suddenly, doors to the garden were flung open behind us, revealing Kaito as he stalked into the ballroom.

"Good morning," I said.

"Morning, and who's this?" he asked, turning to Len.

"This is my…" I hesitated "…_fiancée._" The word still tasted odd in my mouth, even after several months of uttering the exact, same introduction. "Len, meet my brother Kaito. Kaito, meet Len."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lord," Len remarked with a handshake that my brother—though I may have just been imagining things—seemed slightly reluctant to return.

"You as well," he muttered. "By the way, forgive me for being so forward, but you look familiar. Might I know from somewhere?"

"Len's parents are the Lord and Lady Kagamine," I explained. "Apparently they were close friends of Mother's."

"Ah. I see," Kaito replied, although I'm not quite sure he really did. "In any case, I would like to personally welcome you to my manor and apologize that I was not there this morning to greet you when you arrived." Surely I was just seeing things, but I thought I saw a flicker of hatred flash across his eyes.

"That's all right," Len said with a charming smile, and before long, I found that the conversation had slipped into mindlessness—the usual, idle prattle that noblemen like my brother and fiancée are expected to partake in: discussions about politics and finances and other things I that had no interest in. I was suddenly overcome with the urge to be away from the ballroom, to be away from _them_. I longed for the comfort of a small room, for peaceful solitude.

I longed to play my violin.

"Will you please excuse me?" I blurted without thinking, dashing from the room. I knew the music room was just down the hall; if I could just get there…then I would be home free. My violin would be waiting there, and I could drown out all this monotony, all these feelings of doubt and uncertainty with its sweet music.

I could not open the case fast enough; the violin's polished wood felt cool and comforting against my skin. This was my one pleasure, my one means of escaping from the cruel, boring world around me. Like any child from a well respected family, I was introduced to music at a very young age. I'd often seen my brother playing his own violin while perched atop the second floor balcony and aspired to imitate him. I recalled running from the very room in which I was standing immediately following my first lesson, sobbing and frustrated that I could not so much as hold the bow properly, much less produce the same, flawless tones he could. Kaito had taken the instrument from me, his mischievous, blue eyes twinkling, and with it played a song so hauntingly beautiful that I vowed that very day I would learn to play it, and I had long since fulfilled that promise.

I wondered if he still remembered it; those once mischievous eyes had long since turned cold, and I couldn't imagine him having any desire to play in his current state. _How tragic, _I thought to myself, _to regard the world as though it bores you to tears and be unable to find even the smallest bit of comfort. What must it be like to have no one to turn to? I have my violin…but what does Kaito have? _A wave of mixed emotions—nostalgia, guilt, and a hint of sadness—washed over me, and I decided I would play his song, just for old times' sake if nothing else; it was an easy enough warm up. Maybe Kaito would even hear it, and it would cheer him up a little. Maybe it would remind him of all the happy memories we'd made as children—memories that, at this point in time, seemed too good and too far away to be real.

And so I played, pouring every ounce of my soul into the song, allowing it to wash away all the sadness locked up in my heart. It drifted down the mansion's corridors—a simple tribute to simple times, to all those sunny afternoons we spent picking flowers in the garden, to every game of hide-and-seek we played on rainy days, to the closeness Kaito and I used to feel for each other. I wondered if he missed them just as much as I did. Would he hear his song and wonder, too, where those times had gone? Would he even hear it at all?

I did not know it at that moment, but he heard indeed.

Dinner that night was just as awkward as the previous night's had been, perhaps even more so now that Len was present. For one, the table was far too large to seat just three people: Kaito sat at the head of table, just as any master of the house should do, but he radiated such an aura of hostility that Len and I, afraid to sit any closer than several seats down but not wanting to appear rude, chose two spots somewhere in the middle, which made me feel rather like an island drifting somewhere between my brother and the end of the table. Secondly, Len, obviously uneasy, kept trying to strike up a conversation but, when he realized that neither Kaito nor I were in the mood to talk, was forced to let it die out.

About halfway through the meal, Kaito suddenly stood up and with a gruff, "If you'll excuse me, there's something I must attend to," left my fiancée and me alone.

"About time, huh?" Len chuckled once he was gone. I nodded more out of habit than anything else. In truth, I didn't really care either way about Kaito's departure. It was like that with a lot of things lately.

Len shook his head. "Miku, love, what's gotten _into_ you? Ever since your grandmother died you've been acting so strangely!"

"It's nothing," I murmured. And it was the truth. I had no idea what was making me feel this way; I couldn't even begin to describe how I felt. Best to just ignore it and hope it would all go away soon enough.

"It's not about the wedding, is it?" he persisted, taking my hand. "Did my coming here upset you?"

"N-no, you've been more than kind, really." I turned my head away; I couldn't bear to look at him.

"Miku, if there's something bothering you, you can tell me about it. Whatever it is, I promise I'll do my best to help you work through it. I'm _here_ for you." I could feel his eyes boring into me, trying to force an answer out of me. It was too much to take. The room was spinning; it felt as though the walls were closing in on me. I had to escape.

And so I ran.

It was a foolish mistake, to be sure, but at the time I could think of nothing else. For the second time that day, I craved solitude, time to spend alone my thoughts, and yet my violin did not call to me the way it had that morning. I had no interest in playing, so I chose to take a walk in the garden instead. Perhaps the sight of the roses would calm the madness that stirred within me.

I sat down on the same bench I had rested upon earlier in the day and sighed. Len was right. What _was_ wrong with me? It seemed as though the moment I'd received word of Gran's passing, my once pleasant life had become a massive whirlwind of questions and uncertainty, of that niggling feeling in the back of my mind that somehow, somewhere I had business to finish. Is _that_ why I was here? Had fate somehow led me back to this mansion to finish whatever it was that I had started? But how could that be? How could I _possibly_ have _anything_ to finish here in this dusty, cold castle that mocked me with faded memories I could never hope to relive? How could I possibly have anything to finish with h—?

My inner soliloquy was suddenly interrupted by the sound of boots brushing against the rustling grass. I turned towards the source of the noise and stumbled backward at what I saw:

There, standing between two blue rosebushes, was a boy about my age.

I could not see the color of his hair nor the color of his eyes, for he covered one with a black, silk top hat (although I could swear I saw a few stray tufts of blue sticking out from beneath it) and the other with a simple, porcelain mask. His black jacket was embroidered with white and gold and looked more appropriate for a costume party than for a midnight stroll. "There is no cause for alarm, my lady," he said, his voice soft and comforting, despite the fact that he looked like some sort of nightmare creature. "It is only me."

My heart pounded in my chest. "Wh-who are you?" I breathed.

"An admirer," he said. "I'm quite a fan of your music."

"My…music?"

The stranger nodded. "Of course. It _was_ you playing that gorgeous sonata this morning, was it not?"

"You were there? How!" I cried, feeling my palms begin to sweat. Just who _was_ this person?

"I have my ways," the stranger replied, a mysterious smile fixed upon his lips. "But as I said before, my lady, there is no cause for alarm. I assure you I am not here to hurt you. I am a friend."

My eyes shifted back and forth. "Then what is it that you want?"

"Only to teach you, my lady," the stranger answered.

"…Teach me?" I echoed. "…How?"

As if from nowhere, he produced a violin of fine craftsmanship from the folds of his coat. "As it so happens I, too, play the violin. Though you played beautifully this morning, there is still much you have to learn, and it would be my honor to be your teacher. "

I hesitated, still unsure if I was lost in some sort of bizarre dream. "Don't be frightened, my lady," the stranger continued. "You can trust me." For a moment, our eyes locked, and though they were hidden behind his mask, somehow I thought I could sense something familiar swimming in their depths—as though, somehow, I had seen them before. And really, what did I have to lose? This strange person _seemed_ harmless enough.

"Very well," I replied. "I shall try my best to learn from your teachings."

"A wise decision, my lady. Bring your violin at precisely the same time tomorrow night, and I shall be waiting for you here." Without warning, he snatched a bright blue rose from a nearby bush and offered it to me on bended knee. "I look forward to being your teacher."

"And I your student," I mumbled as I accepted his gift, trying not to blush.

"Remember, I'll be waiting for you here _tomorrow night. _Farwell, my lady..." The stranger stood, and as soon as I blinked, he'd vanished into the evening mist, leaving me standing alone holding his rose.

_What an odd person,_ I thought.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's taken me so long to upload this chapter, but I was busy with school and such. However, Chapter Three is finally up and I hope it was well worth the wait! Nothing bugs me more than when fic author's neglect to finish their amazing stories (although I understand that they're only human and it's totally not their fault), so I will promise you this much: one way or another, I _will _finish this entire story. I won't rest until I do! Anyway, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this chapter; maybe I'm just weird, but it's not as fun to write about moody Miku as it is her psychotic brother! The next chapter's from Kaito's POV though, so maybe it will go faster... Regardless of all of that, please rate/review/subscribe/favorite as you see fit. As I've said before, I love your feedback! Thanks!

Next up: It's the moment you've all been waiting for! In celebration of Miku and Len's engagement, Kaito throws a grand masquerade ball at the manor, but the young lord's intentions are nowhere near as pure as he claims them to be... Plus, the identity of Miku's "mysterious teacher" is revealed.


End file.
